Takata Corp., a major Japanese automotive air bags maker has acknowledged that over 33.8 million air bags are defective, almost doubling the national recall from 17 million to 34 million nearly one in seven or more than 13 percent of vehicles from the over 250 million automotives in the United States.
This recall is said to be the largest in the American history. The defective air bags are linked to more than 100 injuries and at least six deaths - five in the U.S., and one in Malaysia, as the propellant can explode with too much force and send shards of metal flying at the passengers. Takata, along with the automakers and the Government are yet to pinpoint the main cause of the problem.
“The Department of Transportation is taking the proactive steps necessary to ensure that defective inflators are replaced with safe ones as quickly as possible, and that the highest risks are addressed first. We will not stop our work until every air bag is replaced,” stated U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, in a press release.
“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with NHTSA, which presents a clear path forward to advancing safety and restoring the trust of automakers and the driving public," stated Chairman & CEO of Takata Corporation Shigehisa Takada, in a press release, adding that the company is committed to doing everything to advance the safety of drivers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has established a new domain for recall related information, while the automakers are sending out recall notice. Most of the Honda vehicles are equipped with Takata air bags, while some models of Nissan, BMW, Chrysler and Toyota are also affected. However, 10 automakers have made individual recall announcements to fix Takata air bags, even before Takata.